With the nation's capital as the backdrop, the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce® (NGLCC) will bring together two of its most anticipated and highly regarded annual events this November.
The NGLCC's 2010 National Business and Leadership Conference: Out for Business! is planned for Nov. 18-20, and as part of the conference, the 2010 National Dinner: An Evening of Courage will be held Friday, Nov. 19.
The NGLCC decided to hold the combined event to make attending the two events more cost-effective for attendees and event sponsors.
"While we are encouraged to see the economy moving in the right direction, it made sense for us to minimize the costs of traveling to two separate events this year," said Rick Fowler, director of meetings and special events at the NGLCC.
In addition, Washington, D.C. was chosen as the event location, to tap into the great resources the city has to offer, and for the access to White House and elected officials. Attendees will hear from public officials and other speakers with a wealth of political and business insight.
"We are looking forward to offering our members and partners the opportunity to attend these events together," said Justin Nelson, president and co-founder of the NGLCC. "By combining the two, we're hoping that LGBT business owners, affiliate chambers and corporate partners can take full advantage of the programming we have at our conference, and then join us in celebrating the year's accomplishments at the National Dinner—all designed to be cost effective as we collectively work to get the economy back on track."
At the three-day conference, which will be held at the Capital Hilton in downtown Washington, D.C., attendees will enjoy robust programming designed to connect LGBT and allied business owners and entrepreneurs, NGLCC affiliate chambers and representatives from the NGLCC's more than 100 corporate partners with one another.
The NGLCC is scheduling exciting business symposia, engaging keynote speakers, in-depth panel discussions and special events designed to educate and meet the needs of all of the attendees. Invited speakers include: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif.; Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.; Rep. Tammy Baldwin, D-Wisc.; and Rep. Jared Polis, D-Colo.
This year, the NGLCC is expanding the conference's offerings by allowing its members and allies to submit proposals for conference seminars. Out for Business! will feature three presentation tracks aligned to the audiences attending the conference, and presenters are asked to identify the track that best fits their proposed presentation topic. The tracks include programs for corporate leaders and representatives, business owners and entrepreneurs, as well as LGBT chambers and business organization leaders. For more information on becoming a presenter at this year's conference and submitting a presentation proposal, download the Call for Presenters form.
To recognize and celebrate courageous women and men in business, government and community activism, the National Dinner: An Evening of Courage will once again be held in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum.
Guests will mingle and network at the Founders & Friends Reception and Silent Auction prior to the start of the dinner program. The awards to be presented that evening include the NGLCC/American Airlines ExtrAA Mile Award, Chamber of the Year Award, Courage in Business Award, Corporation of the Year Award, Supplier Diversity Advocate of the Year Award and the NGLCC/Wells Fargo Business Owner of the Year Award.
For more information about the combined Conference and National Dinner, visit www.nglcc.org/DC2010. In the coming months, the page will be updated with the latest details about registration, speakers, agenda and more. If you have questions about the event in the meantime, contact the NGLCC events department at 202-234-9181 or events@nglcc.org.
